Running the Roads-July 10th

Settled in for some sightseeing today.  Clear and hot, upper 80s and low 90s, so moved at a moderate pace.  First stop: Quigley's Castle.  Mrs. Quigley would be called eccentric by some, crazy by others but what she created is something else.  In 1943 while her husband was at work, she and her 5 kids dismantled the three room shack they called home.  Her husband had been promising to build her a proper home, but the Depression and then WWII got in the way.  Now he had no choice because home was now the chicken coop.  Mama knew what she wanted.  4 feet of earth was left between the outer walls of the house and the living space and the whole house became a greenhouse, literally.  She planted and some of those trees and vines are now two stories tall inside.  She loved  nature and collecked rock that she turned into garden art and the "stucco" that covers the two story house.  She also collected butterflies and moths, goldfish and freshwater muscle shells, turning these all into art or part of the house.  Later we went into downtown Eureka Springs.  It reminds one of McDowell Co. where the  sun doesn't shine anywhere until noon and is gone by 1PM.  The dwellings are built into the hillsides and are terraced up the rock hills.  We stopped at the local museum where I proceeded to read just about everything in print.  Like Monroe Co, the waters were touted for healings and they bottled the LOW mineral waters for export. Very informative.  In the afternoon we visited the grounds of The Greatest Passion Play and saw the statue of Christ that is the largest in North America.  It is needing some repair and the cost is prohibitive so will only be patched as monies become available.  Just a little while ago one finger needed some repair and it ran $6,000.  We also visited the Bible Exhibit. Hundreds of Bibles(prayer books and hymnals)in scads of languages.  We saw some facimilies of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the earthenware jars they were stored in and an original Bible printed before verses were introduced in the late 1500s.  Awesome is not too glib a word to use about the exhibit. Since it was "date night" we went out to supper, although without the usual trips to Lowe's or Walmark.  Actually, haven't seen either for miles and miles.(Now wait, on our way out of town we will probably see one around the next bend!) Went to a musical/comedy theater and enjoyed a Hoe-Down with some really talented muscians.